A project to develop the use of low CO2 steels from Tata Steel’s Port Talbot site to build platforms for floating offshore wind structures and strengthen local supply chains has been awarded nearly £1m of innovation funding.
The Launchpad project is a collaboration between Marine Power Systems (MPS), Tata Steel UK, Swansea University, Associated British Ports and leading engineering and fabrication company, Ledwood Engineering.
The funding from Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation Agency, is to further develop and optimise PelaFlex, Marine Power System’s unique and flexible floating offshore wind platform, for applications in the Celtic Sea.
Specifically, the project will optimise the structural efficiency of MPS’s floating offshore wind platform, PelaFlex, paying particular attention to the challenging environment in the Celtic Sea whilst minimising both the cost of materials and deployment.
That includes the use of strip steel manufactured in Port Talbot, the use of components fabricated by local suppliers and the assembly and roll out using existing ports in the southwest Wales.
Graham Foster, MPS chief technology officer, said: “We are confident that through this project we will be able to optimise our platform design to increase the amount of local, low CO2 steel used for each platform from around 10% to over 50% – that could be as much as 50,000 tonnes of steel each year, based on ongoing supply into Celtic Sea floating wind projects.
“With the deployment of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea becoming a reality, the time is absolutely right to work with local supply chain partners and top research establishments to optimise the detailed design of our technology and maximise its deliverability.”
Tata Steel UK’s chief executive Rajesh Nair added: “We have a vision for our future low CO2 steels to be at the centre of a green industrial hub here in South Wales.
“Collaborations with industrial partners such as MPS demonstrate the huge potential benefits of producing green steels as well as providing security for local supply chains and the communities that surround us.”
Swansea University will provide design input by applying the latest developments in structural design modelling, and Ledwood, based in Pembrokeshire, will provide feedback that will help maximise the extent to which fabrication can be supported from local suppliers.
Input from Associated British Ports and the Port of Milford Haven will ensure that the platform can be assembled and deployed from those locations while minimising the investment required to do so, the consortium said.
The UK Government, supported by the current 4.5GW licensing round for floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, has committed to delivering 5GW of floating offshore wind by 2050.